This invention is in the field of information and communications, and is more specifically directed to improved processes, circuits, devices, and systems for information and communication processing and/or protection against unauthorized interception of communications, and processes of operating, protecting and making them. Without limitation, the background is further described in connection with communications processing and wireless and wireline communications, and security processing.
Wireless communications, of many types, have gained increasing popularity in recent years. The mobile wireless (cellular) telephone has become ubiquitous around the world. Mobile telephony can communicate video and digital data, in addition to voice. Wireless devices, for communicating computer data over a wide area network, using mobile wireless telephone channels and techniques are also available. Ethernet and other wireline broadband technologies support many office systems and home systems.
Wireless data communications in wireless local area networks (WLAN), such as that operating according to the well-known IEEE 802.11 standard, has become especially popular in a wide range of installations, ranging from home networks to commercial establishments. Short-range wireless data communication according to the Bluetooth technology permits computer peripherals to communicate with a personal computer or workstation within the same room.
Security is essential to protect retail and other commercial transactions in electronic commerce. Security is vital to protect medical data, medical records, and other storage and transfer of personal data, or in any context in which personal privacy is desirable. Security is fundamental for both wireline and wireless communications and at multiple layers in communications, such as transport layer, network layer, and other layers. Added features and increasing numbers of security standards add further processing tasks to communications systems. These potentially involve additional software and hardware in systems that already face cost and power dissipation challenges. Even the ability of the system itself to keep up with the task load and rate of information flow may be jeopardized.
Each of the data communication security standards like IPSEC, SRTP, TLS, WiMax, Wireless 3G and Wireless 4G uses its own form of data cryptography and source authentication. (Refer to TABLE 1 Glossary of acronyms.) To make data communication more secure each security standard defines its own additional level of processing beyond standard cryptographic algorithmic processing (AES, 3DES, Kasumi etc). This additional processing called “mode operation” is different for each application and different within a given application depending upon current mode of operation and peer capabilities. This mode processing is sometimes very complex and calls for repeated cryptographic processing for a same data block. Some popular examples of the confidentiality modes that use AES or 3DES cores are CBC, OFB, CFB, CTR, GCM, and CCM which may be used in IPSEC applications. To secure wireless data traffic, transmitted via antenna, Kasumi-F8 and Snow3G-F8 are used in 3GPP technology, for a couple of examples.
This cryptographic “mode operation” processing presents a huge technological challenge, given that performance and chip area vitally matter, to support so many different types of processing in hardware even though the modes include the basic cryptography AES, 3DES, etc., in the process. Moreover, as security standards evolve, new modes are added continually to overcome or mitigate security issues as and when found in mode processing, thereby leading to a further problem of technologically keeping up with new modes of security processing in hardware.
If system hardware is to support multiple security standards at extremely high processing speeds and transfer rates (called bit-rates), more cryptography standards must be supported with high performance even though each standard defines its own data cryptography processes, authentication methods and operational encryption modes.
Hardware implementation of confidentiality modes like CBC, OFB, CFB, CTR, GCM, and CCM, conventionally calls for custom logic for each mode even when they may use the same cryptographic process (AES, 3DES etc). Performance and chip real estate area suffer. Competitive issues and market demands add yet further dimensions of performance, chip area, and QoS (Quality of service) to the challenge of implementing so many security standards. Moreover, as security standards evolve, new modes are invented continually in the industry to overcome or mitigate newly-detected types of attacks.
Departures for more efficient ways of handling and/or protecting packet and non-packet data, voice, video, and other content are needed for microprocessors, telecommunications apparatus and computer systems.